IIT Kanpur Takes Cue from US Varsities to Connect its Alumni

The IIT-Kanpur Computer Science department has taken the initiative to replicate the US universities' model to connect the alumni in a proactive manner and coax them to engage in their alma mater. It is a move that aims at creating better infrastructure and overcoming the shortage of funds for research.

Prof Sandeep Shukla, from IIT-K Computer Science department, said that alumni funding is important for every institution and it is the trend in the varsities of the USA. The idea was to source funds for R&D as the central government has indicated IITs to find out their own funds for R&D in future.

How the Alumni can help the institutes:

Can offer donations

Share new ideas

Give fund for creation of new infrastructure

Offer funds in fresh hiring

Till now IIT-Kanpur has an alumni base of over 30,000. Several of its students are holding leading positions in the Indian and global IT corporations and public departments. Moreover, a number of its alumni have become successful entrepreneurs nationally and globally.

IIT-K alumni and their companies offer handsome donations to the US institutions than their alma mater. During 2015-16, IIT-K had received sanctions for 161 sponsored projects worth INR 98 crore and 122 consultancy projects of value INR 16 crore.

Recently IIT-K had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to increase its cyber domain security.